Day 4 and I'm still fighting. I haven't been rushed to the ICU yet and put on life support, although it's not a bad idea. Ha ha! Seriously, it's getting better luckily.
I tend to get sinus infections a couple times a year. It's a part of life. I hear there's a surgery, but I haven't checked in to it as I doubt my health insurance has any desire to pay for such things. So instead I treat them myself. The key is to not let up on it! Sinus medication (bought over the counter), nasal spray and a neti pot tend to deal well with these.
The over the counter sinus medication is every 4 hours. Never go over the amount suggested as they often include Tylenol (also known as Acetaminophen) and exceeding dosages can damage your liver.
Saline nasal sprays work well first thing in the morning and right before bed. These are just saline (salt water) so you can use them as often as you wish.
Neti pots, well, I don't really have a Neti pot since mine is really a squirt bottle type. You MUST use distilled water in these and make sure it's cleaned out thoroughly. You're giving bacteria a mainline to your sensitive internals if you don't care for these properly. The Neti pot gently pours the water/salt mixture up your nose but I need a bit more pressure, hence why I use the squirt bottle designed for this use. Also instead of the store bought salt mixtures, I use pink Himalayan salt. There's no magical amount, but to one squirt bottle I probably use a quarter of a teaspoon. Once you buy the salt and using these small amounts, I've found it to be a better buy than the packets.
The combination of all three of these techniques is amazing! I'm not having any sinus pressure anymore and am on the downhill portion of this battle.
Where to buy?
As weird as it sounds, when talking OTC sinus medication, you need to compare ingredients. It's the same as when you have a prescription filled. You can get the brand name or the generic. Over the years I've tried them all and paid various prices but foun the Dollar Tree equivalent to work just fine. Serioualy, it's $1 for 2 days worth. That's a good deal.
You can also find the saline nasal spray at the Dollar Tree as well. $1 an it lasts a pretty long time.
The Neti pot or squirt bottle can be found at big box stores or pharmacies. Prices range but I think my bottle went for around $10 or so when I bought it. It came with 3 packets of solution then as well. The salt can be found at any health food store and a nice sized bottle was had for under $5 and has lasted me quite some time and is still going. Distilled water can be found everywhere for $1 a gallon which is way more than you'll need.
Rest, keep drinking fluids and stick to your routine and it'll be beaten back. I had one infection I din't do this all with and I ended up in the emergency room with a high fever. It may just be in your sinuses, but it can spread if not tended to. Once you hit a point where you have a fever, you need to get professional medical help as the fever is a sign of something way worse.
I hope this helps someone here who is trying to live their life but save money at the same time.
-SGSD